June 14, 2012
Three Top-Ranked Teams Set to Take on Challengers at Baseball Finals
Three top-ranked teams, including the three-time defending Class A state champion, are among the eight teams that make up this weekend’s 46th Annual IHSAA Baseball State Finals at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
In a scheduling change-up of sorts from previous years, the Class 3A state championship game will be played Friday night at 7:30 pm ET with the Class A, 2A and 4A games contested at 1 pm ET, 4 pm ET and 7 pm ET, respectively, on Saturday. All four games will be played at the home of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Saturday’s opener pits No. 1 Lafayette Central Catholic (30-4) and No. 2 Shakamak (27-6). The two schools have accounted for the last five small-school state championships between them and six over the last nine seasons. Central Catholic will be hunting for an unprecedented fourth consecutive state championship on Saturday and is the first school to play in four consecutive final games. Jasper is the only other school to have won three straight crowns (1996, 1997, 1998 (3A)).
The Knights have won 25 consecutive state tournament games over the last four seasons. Jasper’s 29 straight tourney wins from 1996 to 1999 stands as the record. Five seniors – Austin Munn, Nick Stone, Trae Bobillo, Nathan Lippai and Wiley Lodde have been a part of the Central Catholic program all four years. Munn is the only individual to play in each of the previous three championship games and would be the only player in state history to play in four should he take the field on Saturday.
Shakamak defeated No. 6 Rising Sun and No. 8 South Central (Elizabeth) over the last two weekends to make it to their fifth state championship game. They are 1-3 in those previous final game encounters losing twice to Central Catholic in 2004 and 2007.
The Class 2A game calls for No. 1 Northfield (28-5-1) to meet unranked Evansville Mater Dei (18-13-1). Northfield won its third regional in school history and has advanced to the championship game for second time after winning the 2001 2A title. Nineteenth year head coach Tony Uggen also doubles as the school’s athletic director.
Evansville Mater Dei limped to a 12-13-1 regular season record but has caught fire during the state tournament knocking off three top 10 teams – No. 7 North Posey and No. 2 South Spencer for the sectional title and No. 4 Park Tudor in the semi-state. The Wildcats are 1-2 in previous state title games including a runner-up finish in 2007 during their last appearance when they were a 3A school.
The 4A matchup includes top-ranked Lake Central (31-1) opposite unranked Roncalli (23-8-1). Lake Central, making its third appearance in the state finals, will be playing in its first state championship setting. The Indians beat six opponents this season via the 10-run rule and also threw 13 shutouts. Lake Central beat their first 13 opponents before suffering their only loss, a one-run decision to Duneland Conference rival Chesterton on April 24, before reeling off another 18 wins heading into Saturday’s finale. Among those were a regional win over No. 10 Elkhart Central and a rally to beat No. 5 Zionsville in nine innings in the semi-state.
Roncalli won its first sectional in eight years this spring and has ridden the momentum to its first state championship game appearance since its 1982 runner-up season. Remarkably, the Rebels are doing so in their first season in Class 4A after spending the last several years as a 3A school. During tournament play, Roncalli won a pair of 10-run games, survived a pair of one-run games and then turned the tables in the semi-state game on New Palestine which was responsible for one of their eight regular season losses.
The battle in Class 3A between unranked teams Western (24-9) and Brebeuf Jesuit (21-8) was scheduled for Friday due to the geographical proximity of both teams to Indianapolis. It’s the first time the Class A game hasn’t been played first since the beginning of the four class system in 1998.
Both teams will be making their debuts in a state championship game with Western rallying past Bellmont 11-6 in the semi-state game and Brebeuf earning its spot by holding off No. 3 Greensburg 10-9. Western, which knocked off No. 5 West Lafayette in the sectional and No. 9 Mishawaka Marian in the regional, is coached by 35th year head coach Ty Calloway who is among the winningest coaches in state history with 639 career victories.
Check www.ihsaa.org and @IHSAA1 throughout the weekend for scoreboard updates on each contest. Electronic box scores will be posted following each contest.
Meet the Teams
For roster, stats and schedules on all eight teams in this year’s state finals, click here.
State Finals
Victory Field, 501 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis | Website
Dates: Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16, 2012.
Admission: $9 each day.
Home Team: The winner of the southern semi-state (second team listed in each game below) is the designated home team.
Television: All four games will be televised live by the IHSAA Champions Network.
Webcast: All four games will be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org.
Class 4A Bracket | Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class A Bracket
Meet the Teams | Order Photos
Friday, June 15
Class 3A | Western (24-9) vs. Brebeuf Jesuit (21-8) | 7:30 pm ET
Saturday, June 16
Class A | Lafayette Central Catholic (30-4) vs. Shakamak (27-6) | 1 pm ET
Class 2A | Northfield (28-5-1) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (18-13-1) | 4 pm ET
Class 4A | Lake Central (31-1) vs. Roncalli (23-8-1) | 7 pm ET
Media Information
Media Hosts – Sports Information Director Jason Wille and Assistant Commissioner Chris Kaufman will be on site to assist in your coverage.
Media Credentials: The 2011-12 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously this year will allow for admission. To apply, please e-mail your request (with name of individual) as soon as possible to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org. E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. The application deadline is Thursday, June 14, at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT.
Media Will-Call: Approved requests will be available for pickup at media will-call located inside the administrative entrance to the right of the ticket windows on the stadium’s west side. Please have identification available to claim your credentials. Will-call will open on Friday at 5:30 pm ET and on Saturday at 11 am ET.
Media Parking: There is no designated parking for media but the lot to the west of the stadium is the nearest option. If full, there are several lots available within short walking distance of Victory Field. The State Garage, opposite the centerfield entrance on the northeast corner of Maryland and West streets is nearby as is the underground garage northwest of the stadium for the NCAA, Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum and White River State Park.
Services: Starting lineups and game programs will be circulated to members of the media in the press box. Computer-generated official box scores will be available following each of the four state championship games and also posted to the IHSAA website. The Indianapolis Indians provide complimentary wireless internet access within the press box. A password which is posted in the press area is needed for access.
Photography: Photographers may take up positions in the outfield portion of each dugout for field level shots. At no time during the game should photographers be shooting from the playing field itself.
Interviews: Interviews with coaches and players may be conducted on the field following the conclusion of the awards ceremonies. In order to allow the grounds crew to do its work, we ask your cooperation in conducting interviews outside the foul lines.
Notables
Defending State Champions in the Field
A: Lafayette Central Catholic.
Returning to State Finals from 2011
A: Lafayette Central Catholic.
Former State Champions in the Field
2A: Evansville Mater Dei 1999 (2A); Northfield 2001 (2A).
A: Lafayette Central Catholic 2004 (A), 2007 (A), 2009 (A), 2010 (A), 2011 (A); Shakamak 2008 (A).
First-Time Participants in the State Finals
3A: Brebeuf Jesuit, Western.
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Lafayette’s Mike DeBoy Honored as Top Baseball Official
Mike DeBoy of Lafayette is the recipient of the 2012 Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of Baseball. DeBoy will be honored in a special ceremony at this weekend’s state finals.
Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports during the school year.
Deboy’s career as a baseball official spans 31 years. He has worked every level of the state tournament, including 18 sectionals, 15 regionals, 12 semi-states and four state finals. He last officiated the baseball state finals in 2005. DeBoy is also licensed to officiate football and basketball. In 2007, he worked the football state finals.
DeBoy was selected for this honor by a committee representing the Indiana officials associations. In Indiana there are 26 associations made up of men and women who give up much of their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile, and healthy activities for the student-athletes in our state. Statewide, there are more than 8,000 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.
A member of the Western Indiana Officials Association, DeBoy has served as an IHSAA clinician, rules interpreter, and local association clinician since 1993. DeBoy also served as the Baseball Sportschair for his association for 15 years.
In the community, DeBoy helps train youth league umpires and coaches youth league teams.
DeBoy has been married to his wife Kathy, for 20 years. The couple has five children, Kati (18), Ryan (15), Nicholis (9), Caroline (6) and Jimmy (deceased, 9).
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About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 408 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.
Media Contacts
Jason Wille, Sports Information Director or Chris Kaufman, Assistant Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
9150 N. Meridian Street, PO Box 40650
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650
317-846-6601
jwille@ihsaa.org or ckaufman@ihsaa.org
IHSAA 11-12/46